Matt Shultz talks about Beaches in Tennesseethe process behind the new album and the brightest stage that Cage The Elephant is experiencing today.
After a period marked by personal changes and a profound transformation, Cage The Elephant start a new chapter with “Beaches in Tennessee”the first preview of his next album production. The single not only marks the band's creative return, but also finds Matt Shultz writing from a completely different place: after going through a mental health crisis, becoming a father and reconnecting with music from a renewed perspective. We talked with the vocalist about the origin of the new material, the creative process behind the album, the importance of healing through songs and the plans the band has to return to Mexico.
Indie Rocks!: First of all, thank you very much for your time. They are about to release a new single, Beaches in Tennessee. How do you feel right now, right before it comes out?
Cage The Elephant: I feel very good. I really wanted people to be able to hear this music and to start this whole process again. We started recording the album around January or February and, honestly, everything happened very quickly. It has been one of the most inspiring moments we have experienced as a band. It is an experience that I am very proud of for everything that came out of it. It has undoubtedly been one of the most inspiring stages of our lives.
IR!: I heard the single and I was very surprised. It sounds very fresh; I loved the production, the bass, the drums… How did this song come about in the studio? How was the whole songwriting process?
CTE: It all started with a riff guitar that my brother brad He had had it for some time and one day he showed me. From the first moment we all felt very excited about that idea.
Justin Raisenwho produced the song along with Jeremiah Raisen —Sad Pony—, developed the basis of the song together with brad. Then I came in and started improvising melodies.
Normally we work like this: we build a very simple demo, I improvise different melodies on top of it and we stick with the ones that work best. Then we start to discover what the song wants to talk about. Sometimes we find the issue consciously and other times it just appears on its own. In this case, both this song and much of the album were born because, for the first time in a few years, I was really able to face what happened to me a long time ago. I had a mental health crisis and was hospitalized for several months.
While we were talking about all this we decided to fictionalize the story and write a song about someone who escapes from the hospital. From there the song began to take on a life of its own.
GO!: Will the entire album follow that fictional story or just this single?
CTE: Only this song tells that specific story.
Although I would say that a large part of the album talks about everything I experienced. On the previous album a lot of those songs were written while I was still going through that difficult time, so I never had a chance to really process it or write from a place of healing. Now I could do it. This album talks a lot about that, but it also represents a new chapter in my life. It is the beginning of a new stage. Plus I'm a dad now, so I have a lot of new things to write about.
GO!: Now that you can look back and talk about that difficult time, what is it like for you to go on stage and sing about it again, knowing that you are in a completely different place today?
CTE: For me it has been something extremely healing.
For several years I felt like I had never really fully faced everything that happened. In conversations with my family, with my wife or with very close friends, I would constantly end up saying: “Do you remember that time when I was not well?” or “Do you remember everything that happened?”
It was a topic that appeared again and again in my daily life. Now, because I was able to write songs about it and really delve into that whole process, those conversations almost don't exist anymore. I know that everything I experienced will always be part of my story, but I finally feel that in my daily life I can move forward.
GO!: I think it's something very nice. Furthermore, I feel that Cage The Elephant's music has accompanied many people over the last fifteen or twenty years. While you were going through this healing process, there were also many people finding refuge in your songs.
CTE: Thanks for sharing that. It's incredible to think that all this was born from such a small place. When you are a child it all starts with simply dreaming of making music. Little by little your imagination starts to grow, you start trying things, you learn how to write songs… It still blows my mind to think that we have been able to do this for so many years.
GO!: It's been almost two decades since you started as a band. If you were starting over today, but with all the experience you have now, what would you do differently? And what advice would you give to someone who wants to make their way in this complicated, but beautiful, world of music?
CTE: I would tell him to be passionate. Let him become obsessed with it and pursue that dream with everything he has. Something that I have always been passionate about is the intention behind things. I like to understand why a song exists and what its purpose is. I believe that the best art is that which has a reason for being.
We have always tried to build our songs as if we were building a structure, a bridge or a house. You want to create a space that truly serves people, that has a purpose in their lives. In the end, you hope that your music can bring people together and find a place in their hearts.
If you do that and give all your energy and all your heart, at least you will know that you gave everything you had. And if that work ends up becoming something bigger, then the meaning is even greater.
GO!: I love that way of looking at it. Speaking a little about the future, when can we hear this new album? When does this new chapter for Cage The Elephant officially begin?
CTE: Tomorrow this single will be released and then we will have another song that will be released between the end of August and the beginning of September. The idea is to keep releasing music until the album finally comes out. I don't think I can yet say exactly when the album will be released, but I can assure you that it's closer than people imagine.
GO!: So we can get excited because there will be quite a bit of new music in the coming months.
CTE: Yes, definitely. Before Christmas there will probably have been four or five new songs out.
GO!: And are you already thinking about taking this album on tour? Especially, can we expect to see you again in Mexico?
CTE: Clear. One hundred percent. I can't officially announce it yet, but I can tell you that there are already plans to return very soon.
GO!: Can we know if it will be this year or next?
CTE: We're not actually going to do a full tour until 2027. There will be some isolated concerts before, but yes, the return is getting closer.
GO!: That excites us very much. Here in Mexico there is always a very special connection with Cage The Elephant.
CTE: We love Mexico. We really love it.
GO!: For people reading this interview who may be seeing you live for the first time, in what state of mind would you recommend attending a Cage The Elephant concert?
CTE: However you are. We just want people to come and have a good time.
After almost twenty years we have a lot of songs and sometimes even I think: “Are we really going to play all of these tonight?” So come as you are. We don't expect anything from the public; On the contrary, we feel that we are there for them. The only thing we appreciate is that you decide to join us.
GO!: For someone who has never heard Cage The Elephant, what song would you recommend starting with?
CTE: That's a difficult question. Normally I like to recommend somewhere in between an artist's career, but in this case I would say start with the new song.
Beaches in Tennessee is the best place to start. Then they can go backwards through the rest of the discography. Social Cues, Tell Me I'm Pretty and Melophobia They were very special albums for us, although the truth is I am fond of all of them.
GO!: If you were a fighter entering the ring, What song would you make your entrance with?
CTE: Beaches in Tennessee. Definitely. It's the best song to enter a room ring that exists.
GO!: WWE, if you are reading this, you already know what to do.
CTE: Exactly. (Laughs).
IR!: And finally, if you had to describe Cage The Elephant in only three words, what would they be?
CTE: Rawness, energy, heart. We always try to be honest, have energy and keep it real.
GO!: I love it. Matt, thank you very much for your time. It was a real pleasure talking to you. We hope to see you back in Mexico very soon.
CTE: Thanks to you. I had a great time. See you very soon. Thank you.
